BEATING FOR BEAR IN CHOTA NAGPUR 35 



I also had some litters prepared in which to carry the 

 ladies up the hill. In this then unsophisticated part of the 

 world we had only one palki or palanquin in the whole 

 Station, and dandys and rickshaws were unknown ; not 

 that the latter would have been of any use. 



At last I was satisfied and, as the sun neared the horizon, 

 I climbed down the rocky hill-side to the small bungalow 

 on the road where I was to pass the night, and spent the 

 evening in a dream of delightful anticipations, the only 

 excitement being the arrival of the carts with the com- 

 missariat for the next day and by their number that was 

 evidently to be done in no niggardly fashion. Just before 

 I reached the bungalow on my return I noticed some 

 vultures winging their way across the firmament and 

 dropping to 

 earth at the foot 

 of the hill to 

 my right. Being 

 still new to the 

 country and in- 

 terested in every- 

 thing I deviated *- 

 from my route 

 to see what they - ' 

 were about. I 

 soon spotted a dead village cow with two crows on it, and 

 several vultures approaching with ungainly hops to their 

 unsavoury feast. 



These vultures are a common sight in India. They each 

 have a station of their own high up in the heavens, and 

 soar slowly round in circles throughout the day, keeping a 

 close look-out both upon the country below them and on 

 their neighbours in the sky. If they see a dying or dead 

 animal on the earth below them they drop to the ground 

 in great sweeping circles, ever dropping and dropping till 

 they get close to the earth, when they plane down a steep 

 incline of air to the ground. If, on the other hand, they 

 see one of their neighbours high up in the heavens leave 

 his station and start off in a certain direction, they know 

 he is making for a place where there is a dead carcase, and 

 they take the same direction, keeping on and on till they 

 see the bird in front of them dropping to earth, when they 

 do likewise. 



